Mem Fox reads at West Ulverstone Primary School

Beloved children’s author Mem Fox spent a Friday afternoon reading to the kids and parents of Ulverstone West Primary School this month.

The Possum Magic author was in Tasmania to speak at the Building Brighter, Stronger Families conference held in Devonport.

Families who attended her reading session at the school were able to take home free copies of Ms Fox’s books.

The school was able to purchase the books because of a $1500 donation from the West Ulverstone Rotary Club.

Club president Penny Smith said the initiative reflects the high value the group places on education.

“We think it's really important for the health and wellbeing of all students to ensure that they have access to reading material no matter where they live, no matter what their socio-economic background,” she said.

“We try to support all our schools in Ulverstone.”

Julia Hill of West Ulverstone Primary School said the school had been planning to get Ms Fox to visit since 2016.

“We were very keen to get her because she was a very inspiring speaker and the message we really wanted to convey to our school community is the joy and benefit of reading to your children,” she said.

Ms Fox’s books are known across the world and include Time for Bed, Wombat Divine and Ten Little Fingers for Ten Little Toes.

She has been a passionate advocate of the benefits of parents reading to their children since the 1970s.

“If you don't read to your children before they go to school regularly and because you love being with them … please don't blame your teacher when your children don't learn to read quickly and easily,” Ms Fox said.

“We need to be reading to our children before they go to school. There are thousands of reasons for that. There are reasons of bonding, there are reason of brain development ...but the only reason I want people to read is because I think its a beautiful thing to do.”

Ms Fox told the Building Brighter, Stronger Families conference a series of true stories that highlight and demonstrate the benefits of reading to children.

Her latest book is entitled I’m Australian Too.

The book is a celebration of multiculturalism in Australia and encourages kindness towards people no matter where they came from.

“We need to acknowledge that we can’t say to strangers you can’t come here ... because we were all strangers in the first place," she said.